I Beg to Differ
by who smiles
Summary: Having an old friend stay at the Palace can't go wrong...right? Young Tigress is starting to feel differently as she unfolds the masters' memories and deepest secrets- and is surprised to discover a familiar red panda takes up most of them.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It's finally here! After months and _months _of planning, writing, re-writing, and editing I finally have a good start to my third chapter fic. Now, it's been a looooonng time since I've updated, and knowing my hectic life updates won't be very routine, but I'm proud to finally have written something worth reading. As for my other stories, they are on a hiatus until further notice. I have little to no inspiration for anything- prompts, chapters...so instead of forcing something awful, I've decided to just pause things for a while.

But, you don't care about my _other _stories, you want to hear about this one! As strange as it may seem, there _is _a method to my madness, so just hang in there! The first chapter is always rough but I think it's going to be worth it...

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><p>Chapter 1: Hold On (To What You Believe In)<p>

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><p><em>Dear Liao Shifu,<em>

_I realize that it has been nearly nine months since you last heard from me, and I just wanted to tell you that I'm sincerely and utterly sorry. I definitely didn't want it to be so long, but the battle we've waged with Musibata Khan is a bit deeper then we originally thought—Rong and Lian have wanted to give up a grand total of forty-seven times—and I need almost all my time to put towards finding us a way out of this godsforsaken country alive. I feel as if I've actually strained a brain muscle or something of the sort from planning and plotting all the time._

_If only I had you around; your ideas were so stupid, they often worked. _

_However, I know you have kids to tend to and a life to live, so I won't request your help. In fact, I don't think I'll need it. Five years has really paid off—Musibata is getting old(er) and not at all sharper. He's losing his touch. I may…well, _**we** _may have beaten him. Which serves the old fart right. I've saved a country before with friends as my only weapons and I'm not afraid to do it again! Those who choose to cross paths with me are simply asking to me defeated in the most painful way possible!_

_I'm going to go ahead and take a guess that you just kissed this parchment. I wouldn't blame you, my words tend to have that effect on people—men especially. I'm a real man-killer in this country, actually. Apparently women who can break every bone in their body screams 'attractive' to them, the poor shmucks. _

_But I digress._

_The point of this later was to tell you good news, not about the loveless Indian men. Guan Yu sent word that part of Musibata's army was captured within the walls. They've been interrogated and detained, in case you haven't heard, and Guan Yu was able to find so very helpful information from them. He told me everything he could, and Lian has a rather brilliant plan that ought to bring the old man's army to its knees. We should be returning to China within the year; if things go well, by the start of autumn. It will always amaze me how an ugly lion like him could ever be at the top of the Indian food-chain, but alas, this mission isn't for me to understand the (wrongness of the) caste system. I just need to end the fight and make sure Lian gets out alive—the Emperor's sister is pretty important, don't you know._

_Speaking of, both she and Rong give their best regards, to the kids and Master Oogway as well. Rong has high hopes of meeting your beautiful wife when we return, and I made sure he knew your standards are too high for every woman in the country—and your father's are even higher. He made a point of not listening to me._

_The kind girl whose family has been hiding us sends her regards too. I hope you'll meet Aayushi one day, I just know you'd love her like your own sister. She's only twenty-eight, a pretty little blossom, and is by far the most down to earth person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting (you excluded)._

_Please tell Master Oogway that his (favorite) pupil cannot wait to see him again. I've truly missed him-and you as well._

_Stay strong, my friend. Best wishes,_

_Phan Meng_

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><p>The letter came in the dead of night.<p>

According to Zeng, the messenger goose, it was of the utmost importance that Shifu read it at three in the morning. A word from Phan, of all people, meant more than his sleep, as it were.

Not that he minded. Hearing from Phan was like seeing a blue moon—rare and somewhat unbelievable. Her letters, while incredibly immature, gave him a sense of hope that he'd be reunited with his friends again one day. And if the most recent letter was accurate, then one day soon.

Shifu lay awake for a long while after re-reading the letter for the fifth time. He was excited, yet worried; what if things _didn't _go according to plan, and this was simply a false cry? He _wouldn't _see Phan, or Rong, or Lian—Her Highness, technically—for another half decade…and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

Then of course he had to think of Phan's ignorance. If she were to visit him again he'd have to explain where his so—Tai Lung was. Shifu's stomach clenched at the mere thought. At that moment, there was nothing he wanted more then to discuss the issue with his master, but Master Oogway had left for a journey two nights ago.

With the whirlpool of thoughts somewhat tamed, Shifu lay on his cot and stared at the ceiling until he fell into sweet unconsciousness.

When the sun kissed the skies for the first time the next morning, a striped feline was already awake. Her sharp ears had heard the distinct flapping of the messenger late in the night, and she'd stayed awake for nearly an hour wondering why he had come. Well, to deliver a message of course, but the content of the message was what piqued her curiosity.

At some point, she remembered the wise (but kind of creepy) advice Master Oogway always gave her: "Curiosity kills the cat." Being a cat herself, she heeded those words carefully and pushed the thoughts down deep in her mind so she could sleep. They resurfaced only a few hours later and stirred her awake again; she had been lying awake ever since. Despite knowing sleep was important, she couldn't put the thoughts off long enough to _stay _asleep.

To make a long story short, Tigress found herself in a bit of a dilemma.

She was the first student in the Jade Palace awake; the first to salute Master Shifu good morning, and consequentially, told to make breakfast for everyone.

Not that Tigress hated making breakfast…but…actually, she _did _hate making breakfast.

Alas, she was a very good student, and wished to hold the record more then she wished to go back to sleep. She bowed in respect to Master Shifu (who seemed somewhat pleasant this morning, though she couldn't tell why) and said, "I will make breakfast," like a good little kung fu pupil who skipped rather then trudged to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, the young tiger had a slightly lumpy batch of congee ready to be eaten. As her peers shuffled sleepily from their rooms to the kitchen, she greeted them with a curt nod and a bowl of the porridge thrust into their hands (except for Viper, whose bowl already rested on the table).

They all sat to eat in silence. Tigress had observed that breakfast was their quietest meal of the day, though she hadn't decided on why. Either because they were all still rubbing sleep from their eyes, or because it was simply more enjoyable when it was quiet was up for debate with her. The irritating thing though was that she couldn't simply ask for another opinion. There were certain things Tigress talked about with the other students—and subjects like their quietest meal would just earn her raised eyebrows and quirky looks. She received them often from her peers and didn't want to do anything to receive even more then normal.

Tigress wasn't aware how deeply lost in thought she'd been until she was blinking into her congee.

Spurting and stuttering, she quickly pulled out of the warm meal and frantically wiped at her face, trying not to spray the porridge around her. Viper offered her a napkin that she gladly accepted while Monkey snickered behind his hand and Mantis looked as if he were about to fall inside his meal as well.

"Are you okay?" Viper asked in a motherly manner as Tigress sopped up the last bits of congee from her eyebrows. Even though she was only a year older then Tigress, Viper acted as if she was her mother. Or, Tigress assumed that was how mothers acted; she'd never had one to compare.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," Tigress said distractedly. "I'll take your bowl to the sink, if you're done eating?"

Viper nodded her consent and Tigress balanced the two bowls in her thick paws on her way to the sink. While she rinsed them out, she had the vague suspicion that the other three were talking about her, and that made her feel more embarrassed then anything else.

Knowing the boys, Monkey was probably making fun of her and Mantis was laughing along. Even though he was the oldest, Mantis acted like he didn't have eighteen years of experience in life. At heart he was still five, and showed it whenever he got the chance. Monkey wasn't any better at sixteen; he made awful jokes, pulled irresponsible pranks, and generally pestered Tigress to the point where she wanted to pop.

On more then one occasion, she'd expressed herself to Master Oogway. He had said, "Boys will be boys," and she couldn't agree more. She felt a small pang in her heart; she already missed the elderly master's wise words, and he had only departed for his journey to the Forbidden City two days ago.

"Hey Tigress," the feline heard, pulling her once again into reality, "do you know what today's schedule is?"

Tigress turned the bowls over to dry and shrugged. "Nope. We may have a follow up of yesterday's lesson…"

Monkey snorted, and Tigress felt her fist clench. "Another lesson on breathing? I'm not sure if Master Shifu realized that we've been breathing since we were born."

Always ready to defend her master, Tigress countered, "He wasn't teaching us to _just _breathe. It's a special technique that helps us save our breath so we can use our energy for more important things."

"Sounds like a breathing lesson to me." Monkey rolled his eyes. He stood and stretched; apparently sleep still clung tightly to him. "Maybe we'll do something fun today."

"If we're lucky," Mantis mumbled.

"Which we're not," Viper added.

"I thought it was a good lesson," Tigress opined defensively. She glanced at Monkey, already expecting him to argue.

The simian yawned widely. "Yeah, well," he shrugged, "you'd think tofu was interesting if Master Shifu taught us about it."

"Instead of aggravating me, why don't you go wash your bowl?" Tigress replied, glaring at Monkey as he walked away from his dirty dish. He waved her off.

"I'll do that later. Let's get to the Training Hall!" His tone was as excited as ever. That was Monkey, always willing to let someone else to his dirty work while he ran off and enjoyed himself.

"You're not going anywhere until that bowl gets washed," Tigress snapped. "Viper and I are going to start stretching while we wait for you two."

Tigress ignored any argument as she led Viper out of the kitchen and towards the Training Hall. "Ugh," the snake groaned, "I hope Master Shifu doesn't have me working with the Fiery Fields of Death again. I've smelled like smoke for the past week."

"He only has good intentions," Tigress said automatically. She'd picked up the quote after hearing Master Oogway say it a thousand times.

Viper sighed, looking a bit weary of the Training Hall as they neared it. "I'm aware," she admitted, "but that doesn't I'm going to start _liking _smelling like a chimney all the time."

"Maybe if you looked at things from a different angle…" Tigress offered weakly.

"Okay, in that case I smell like charcoal, which is hardly better."

Glancing at her serpentine friend exasperatedly, Tigress sighed under her breath and started the descent down the stairs towards their destination. "Well, at least you still get a better bargain then Monkey. Master Shifu has made him skip dinner _twice _because he can't perfect his forms."

Viper made a small sound in the back of her throat. "That's awful no matter how you look at it," she whispered, not wanting to be heard. "I know Master is really thinking about the greater good, but how is forcing someone to sleep without a meal going to help anything?"

"It's a punishment," Tigress explained coolly. "And Monkey deserves it. He's nothing but disrespectful and irresponsible—only cold, hard discipline can tame that." Everything in her demeanor said she believed it whole-heartedly.

Although she wasn't sure, Tigress thought she heard Viper say something about "being just like him" under her breath. Not wanting to dwell on it, she flung open the doors of the Training Hall and strode inside.

The area was large and wooden with various contraptions and machines strewn about to help them excel in kung fu. When Tigress had first come to the Palace, she had nearly broken her neck trying to look at everything—from the ropes that swung from the ceiling to the large tortoise shell she often used to achieve maximum balance. As time went on the tiger grew used to the equipment and had even begun to loathe it.

Far towards the right of the room were benches that she and Viper headed towards; they wanted to get stretching out of the way as soon as possible. Tigress sat heavily on the bench, brow furrowed, and stayed in the silence long enough for it to become uncomfortable. With a raised eyebrow Viper broke the stillness by asking if anything was wrong.

Tigress brightened instantly, if it was a forced reaction. "Nothing!" she blurted, rubbing her elbow distractedly, "I'm just thinking about something, but it doesn't really matter so please don't worry about me." Face devoid of emotion, she clapped her hands together. "We should, uh, get started on stretching. Or meditate; whichever you'd rather do."

Viper frowned. "Tigress, are you sure everything's okay – "

"Fine." Tigress cleared her throat. "I mean, everything is fine. I'm going to meditate. Feel free to join me if you wish." With that, she promptly sat on the ground and cross her legs in the lotus position. Her fingers curled around her kneecaps; her eyes shut tightly. She heard Viper sigh then slowly curl up beside her.

Tigress, unlike the other, more restless students, found meditation to be relaxing. Sure it was hard to stay focused, but if she managed that then she could get lost in the realms of her own mind. She had reached many important conclusions while meditating. Now, as hard as she tried to shy away from the subject, her mind was concentrating on the other students – Monkey in particular.

As "fun" as Monkey was to have around, and she used the word lightly, he was really beginning to bother her. Whether it was whining about Shifu, or grumbling about training—he always had something awful to say or do. Tigress wasn't sure if calling him out on this would be the best solution or not, so she gave feeble attempts at stopping him. They never worked. Maybe it was time to try something more forceful…

_No. Stop. Forceful is bad; forceful scares people away, _Tigress thought before she could stop herself. Vivid memories of a very awful place she had lived once popped up in her mind. She tried to ignore them, but it was very hard; the memories took over her mind. _Forceful breaks things. Everything. _Her concentration was slipping, she could feel it…

"Tigress?"

With a loud gasp for air, the tiger was pulled from her thoughts. She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath until she was left grasping for oxygen like a fish out of water. Viper's concerned eyes were staring right at her, through her almost. Still grasping for air, Tigress broke the gaze and waved away her worry. "Sorry. I was in deep thought…"

"I could tell," Mantis said from atop Viper's head; Tigress hadn't even noticed when he showed up. "We've been calling your name for five minutes straight."

_Forceful breaks people._

"Sorry," Tigress repeated, voice strained as she tried to force her thoughts aside. "I will do my best to pay closer attention to all of you." She stood and bowed respectfully to each one of them.

Monkey looked a bit put off by her formality. "You don't have to bow to us. S'not like we're masters or anything."

"I'm aware," Tigress noted, "I simply wish to show you the full extent of my apology."

She received perplexed stares. Before anyone could utter a word, a loud tapping caught their attention. Master Shifu stood at the front of the room, tapping his cane repeatedly on the ground. "Students," he beckoned, and Tigress mentally thanked him for the distraction.

She was the first one to reach him, already stooped low in a bow. "Yes, master?" she asked in unison with the others.

He looked at her briefly; Tigress' stomach twisted in knots. What was he thinking? Knowing him, it would probably be condescending, like new ways to humiliate her in front of the others. As ridiculous as it sounded, Tigress was sure that was a favorite pass time of his. "Before we continue training today, we will cover your studies. I assume you've finished your readings on the masters?"

Tigress nodded eagerly, and observed as her peers shuffled anxiously. "We are…not entirely done yet," Viper admitted sheepishly.

Master Shifu scowled. "I said you must have them read by today," he said harshly. The grip he had on his cane tightened slightly. "Since it seems only Tigress paid my request any mind, she will have to explain things to you. Tigress." He looked at her; a chill went down her spine. "Tell me, who founded the Lee Da Academy?"

"Master Qin Rong," she answered immediately. The information found its way to her tongue without her even thinking about it.

"Good. Now name all the masters who have ever wielded the Sword of Heroes in battle."

"There are three; Master Oogway was the first, Master Chong Gun the second, and," she faltered for a moment, "and Master Tai Lung the third."

Tigress expected to be punished for saying the name aloud, but Master Shifu nodded his approval. "Good." He was in a _really _pleasant mood today; whatever Zeng had told him in the night must've been excellent news. "But you are missing one."

Tigress' breath caught in her throat. "I…I was not aware, Master. The scrolls never mentioned a fourth…"

"Unsurprisingly," Master Shifu dismissed. "I was the fourth, and since the scrolls have failed to teach you, the job is passed on to me. I used to the Sword in the Battle of Gongmen City. Do you know who fought alongside me?"

Tigress closed her eyes. "Master Wan Rong lead the battle, while Master Qin Ruon Li, Phan Meng, and – "

"Good, child. What do you know of Master Phan Meng?"

"Um. I…she was a pupil of Master Oogway who trained in the ancient style of Clever Fox, and liberated China from the rule of Lord Shing Wong…"

"And?"

There it was, in his voice. That expecting tone- waiting for her to do something to make him proud. Tigress _ definitely _wanted to make him proud; wanted it more then anything.

"I…" Tigress hung her head, ashamed. "I do not know, Master."

"Oh." There was slight disappointment in his voice. She had failed him. _Again._ "That's quite alright, Tigress." He patted her head somewhat affectionately. "Keep your chin up. You've done well."

Tigress raised her head, befuddled. "O-okay…" After sneaking a quick glance to her friends, she noticed they were as confused as she was. The young feline hastily shoved a fist into her open palm. "I mean, yes Master."

"Since I've overestimated the knowledge in the scrolls, I suppose we'll have a small history lesson before we begin." Master Shifu cleared his throat and began, "As Tigress said, Master Phan Meng was one of many to help liberate China from Lord Shing Wong. What the scrolls do not say is that she also was requested to solve an issue involving Musibata Khan and his cruel wrongdoings." He glanced briefly at their blank stares, sighed, and explained, "Musibata Khan is a corrupt military leader that has turned his army on the innocent if they don't do as he says. He has a particular hatred for Shudras and Untouchables. He's killed a large portion of the Indian population, and now that people see how awful he truly is, it is too late for them to bring him out of power. Some scholars requested China's best strategists and warriors to help bring Musibata Khan down."

Monkey blinked dumbly; Mantis bit his lip in deep thought; Viper furrowed her brow, and it seemed only Tigress knew what Master Shifu was talking about.

Their master ignored this and plowed on. "Phan Meng has been in India, along with Qin Rong and Xian Lian for a total of five years." He took a deep breath and smiled lightly. "And it seems that she should be returning soon."

"So that means she beat Musibata Khan?" Viper guessed.

"Not yet, but she is very close to doing so. The reason I've told you all this is because I've recently received a letter from her; if she is to be victorious over the khan, she will bring a very good name to China, while adding to history in the process," their master told them with a strangely proud twinkle in his eye. "And, if you were not aware, Masters Phan Meng and Qin Rong used to protect the village, much like you all will one day."

At his words, Tigress felt her stomach twist itself into knots. She knew that one day all them—Viper, Mantis, Monkey, and herself—would be part of an elite kung fu group known as 'The Furious Five'; their job would be to protect the Valley of Peace from dangers of all kinds. The very thought was exhilarating—one day she would be a _master _of the Tiger Style. Master Shifu wouldn't need to correct her stance ever again. In fact, if she was really lucky, she would even have students of her own to teach!

However, Tigress quickly pulled away from her thoughts, before Master realized she wasn't paying attention to him and punished her for it. As it were, he seemed far too happy with himself to notice she had drifted off. "Ah, well, I suppose that is enough for today," Master Shifu said lightly with a small wave of his hand. "As long as you three-" he pointed at Viper, Mantis, and Monkey- "make sure to have your scrolls read by the end of the week, there will be know harm done." Then, really shocking the kids, he _smiled _at them.

Tigress tried to describe the varying levels of shock on a scale of one to ten. Viper looked only mildly surprised, which placed her at about four. Monkey and Mantis on the other hand had mirroring expressions of terror that blew the roof off of Tigress' scale.

Despite the obvious display of emotions, Master Shifu said nothing. "We shall began with our schedule for today. Firstly, we have Tai Chi," he said, hands behind his back as he awaited the students to line themselves up. "Assume the starting position. Make sure you stay together."

Twenty minutes later, the students were warm enough to start the actual training. This was the part that Tigress was normally apprehensive about. If at any point during the lesson she were to mess up, even if it was slight, Master Shifu nearly pounced at the chance to exploit her flaws and took it upon himself to humble her, even if that meant a sharp smack from his cane (which it usually did). Today though, Tigress was nearly glowing with eagerness. She bounced happily on the balls of her feet as she hung on to every word Master Shifu said.

Though she didn't think it explicitly, Tigress clung to the small hope that maybe, just maybe, if she were to drink in knowledge as fast as possible, she could gain approval from Master Shifu. As childish a dream as it sounded, it was really all she had to hold on to, so hold onto it she would.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I appreciate the feedback/favorites/story alerts! As for a common question: Crane is _not _in the story. This takes place a little more then a decade prior to the first movie; Po is not the Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five is not complete yet. For more info, check out my profile. I did a better explanation there ^^

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><p>Chapter 2: (I'm) Coming Home<p>

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><p>There was an eerie sense of waiting that morning.<p>

Shifu woke with a start, as if he were nearly late. He wasn't; he was _never _late, but the strange feeling stuck with him for the entirety of the day (along with the sense that he was forgetting something very important).

He shuffled to the kitchen to find his students already gathered around the table, sleepily eating hastily-made crullers. Tigress saw him first, unsurprisingly, and nearly knocked over her chair in her haste to bow to him. "Good morning, Master Shifu," she said solemnly. Shifu had noticed that she'd taken to acting impassive recently; he'd meant to do something about it, but the time never seemed right. The other students blearily copied Tigress, though their greetings were far less understandable.

Something like affection washed over Shifu for a moment. As insufferable as they could be, with their petty arguments and occasional fist-fights, the students had grown on him. If he wasn't more careful, he'd surely start seeing them as his children, much like he did with –

"Good morning to you as well," Shifu said with much more bitterness in his tone then he'd intended. A small pang a guilt coursed through him when Tigress' hopeful eyes dulled and she sat, completely interested in her meal rather then his disappointment.

Shifu was getting awfully good at hurting her, even when he didn't intend to.

If there was any time he needed Oogway, it was now.

The elder turtle had departed nearly three weeks ago; not that long, to be honest, but with Shifu so high-strung it felt like an eternity. Master Phan's letter was still fresh in his mind. He thought about it everyday, wondering if something awful had happened to her…

"Are you going to eat, Master?"

Shifu blinked at Tigress (whose eyes were so innocent) and shook his head. Careful to sound kinder then before, he spoke. "No, child. I have too much on my mind to even think of eating."

Her fuzzy ears flattened in worry. (When had she started worrying over him?) "If you're sure, Sh—_Master_."

Those innocent eyes widened in something close to fear as she corrected herself. Since when was Shifu scary? A bit thrown off, he didn't respond to the slip-up and instead busied himself with fiddling with his cane.

Today, thankfully, was a better day; he didn't feel any sort of pain in his hip. Not many days were like this one, so he was sure to make good use of it.

"Students," Shifu addressed them stiffly as they finished the last of their meals, "today you will learn..."

Oh.

_That's _what he forgot.

Shifu silently cursed himself. He was so busy worrying over nothing he'd forgotten to make a lesson plan. Today was certainly not his day. The master picked up his sentence again, slowly, in hopes of making the children think he'd paused on purpose. "…_weaponry._"

A hushed silence fell over the room as Shifu plotted on a way to kick himself without being too obvious.

"W-weaponry?" Viper asked timidly. Shifu could sense excitement beneath her bashfulness. He gave her a somewhat smile (that faltered only slightly when Mantis and Monkey began to cheer wildly).

"Yes, child; weaponry. Specifically how to defend yourself against weaponry if you yourself are unarmed."

"So we'll get to attack someone else while armed with a wicked blade?" Monkey pumped his fist. "_Score!_"

Shifu paused to wonder where he went wrong with the boy. Except, no, he _didn't _'go wrong' because he was not the boy's father. He didn't raise him, he trained him—they were two _completely_ different things.

Briefly, Shifu wondered if it was possible to lose an argument with himself.

"Monkey," he said through gritted teeth, "that is not the objective of the lesson. If you are ever the underdog in a fight, it will be necessary to learn how to defend yourself against—"

"Wait!" Monkey cut him off with his palm out. "Will we be using weapons against our unarmed peers?"

Shifu narrowed his eyes. So Tigress found him scary, yet this easily-excited simpleton didn't. _That _made sense. "Yes, I suppose you will."

"That's all I needed to hear!" Monkey clapped his hands together, grinning. "When do we start?"

Something very close to a smirk grew on Shifu's face as he knocked his cane against the ground. "_Now_."

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><p>In the vast distance between a valley and wilderness, a bruised corsac fox stumbled along, leaning heavily on a cane and pausing often to catch her breath. The wind did nothing to aide her; if anything it only made her journey even more painful. As her fluffy fur blew into her mouth, she looked up to the gods.<p>

"I'm too damn old for this," she grumbled, as if they could hear her. When she received no response, the fox continued her hobbling.

Had anyone seen her, they may have recognized her. She would have to deny their claims, of course (she had to stay low key) but they could've at least pointed her in the right direction.

Looking again at the gods she had just cursed, Phan Meng prayed for a divine being with a chariot, maybe, to be sent to her.

A voice behind her nearly made her shoot out of her skin. "I may not be a divine being, but I do think I could offer some assistance."

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><p>Shifu had to admit it; he was proud of himself. <em>Damn <em>proud.

Before him, Monkey and Tigress bowed to each other before standing in their chosen fighting stances. Tigress had to accommodate for the jian she was wielding, but Shifu observed that she did so well.

Monkey, on the other hand, look about ready to keel over.

"Uh, Shifu?" the simian stuttered, paling, "I think this is a bad idea."

"Really? I thought you _wanted _to have weapons wielded at you when you were unarmed?"

Monkey shook his head like a madman. "No—_I _wanted to _wield _the weapon."

"A shame," Shifu responded with mock sincerity. "You will have to manage with this arrangement." He smirked outright as Monkey's jaw landed somewhere by his feet. With a glance to Tigress he nodded; "You may begin."

Tigress lunged. She held the sword like a novice, which she was, but hadn't dropped it yet, which was an accomplishment. She thrust at Monkey's bared chest and he knocked the blade away, only to yelp and grab at the wound he'd inflicted on his arm.

"You cannot touch the blade, Monkey," Shifu told him slowly. "It's _sharp_."

"I hadn't noticed," came Monkey's snappish reply. He danced lightly on his toes as Tigress came at him again, somewhat invigorated by the fact that she hadn't been scolded yet. "Watch it!" Monkey groused as the blade swung past his head—missing his ear by merely an inch.

Viper cried out from the sidelines. "Tigress, be careful!" She was quickly shushed by Mantis, but the expression of concern seemed branded to her face.

"Monkey, don't lose focus. Try to observe everything that is happening around you—not _only _the weapon."

However, the primate was hell-bent on ignoring Shifu's advice. After only a few moments he tripped over the stone Shifu had indirectly warned him about and landed flat on his back—vulnerable to the sword Tigress already had pointed at his chest.

"Match!" Shifu called. "Tigress, make sure you don't give him time to think. Had he seen the stones, he could've lured you towards them." She bowed respectfully to him, panting and wearily eying the partner she had just defeated.

With short, quick steps, Shifu strode up to Monkey and clicked his tongue. "Were you even trying?"

"Of course not," Monkey growled, "I find it _fun _to get impaled by Tigress!"

"It looked like you were doing just that," Shifu said curtly. "Next time, pay more attention to the mental part of training. The physical aspects aren't everything."

Obviously unhappy with the advice, Monkey allowed his head to fall to the ground with a thud. Tigress looked at him questioningly, and Shifu gestured towards the stone stairs where Viper and Mantis were on the other side of the courtyard. "You may rest, Tigress. As for Monkey, you can—"

Before Shifu could deliver the punishment, the large doors leading into the open yard flew apart. In the frame stood two dusty figures, both gripping canes and wearing damaged smiles.

Shifu's heart stopped. That couldn't be…there was no way it was…

"Phan?"

The short of the two figures perked up at the sound of her name. She let go of Oogway's clawed hand for the first time in several hours and dropped her cane, ignoring her limp as she trotted towards the stunned red panda and threw her arms around him. "Shifu!" she cried, and he was fairly certain there were tears in her eyes. "It is so good to see you again, old friend!"

Shifu grunted in response, and only then did Phan realize just how tightly she was squeezing his chest. "Sorry," she offered shyly.

"It's alright…" Shifu took a small step back so he could look at her. She was barefoot, and scratches covered her feet and legs from what he could see. Her brown tunic was ripped in numerous places, as was the shawl she had around her shoulders. A bright red cut pulsed right below her left eye—it was fresh, Shifu noticed. She must've been in a fight recently.

As if sensing his thoughts, Phan puffed out her chest. "Oh, I'm not that bad. You should see the other guy."

Shifu didn't speak. He reached out hesitantly and traced the cut with a gentle finger. "That will scar," he said quietly.

"Better to have one on my face then my soul."

Shifu felt a snap inside him. This was Phan. _This was Phan. _He reached out and pulled Phan into a tight embrace. "It is so good to see you, Phan."

"Right back at you, Shifu."

The hug lasted for a few seconds longer, before Phan wriggled out of his arms and looked brightly at his students. Shifu had nearly forgotten they were there—Oogway as well. His own master smiled at him as he handed Phan the cane she'd left at the gate.

"Hello," Phan said cheerily, "I don't think we've met! Are these the students you've been telling me about, Fu?"

Shifu bristled on slightly at the nickname. "Yes." He nodded.

Phan either didn't noticed or ignored his discomfort, the Shifu guessed the latter. "Excellent! It's nice to meet you all—I'm guessing this old stiff never mentioned me before. I'm Master Phan Meng."

Monkey, still sprawled haplessly on the grass, blinked at her dazedly. "_The _Phan Meng?"

"The one that defeated Musibata Khan?" Viper added, her jaw unhinged.

"_And _Shing Wong?" Tigress seemed to be awestruck. Quickly, all the children bowed to her.

"Wow! You're like, a _legend!_" Mantis said excitedly.

Shifu smiled as Phan blushed under the admiration. "Not even close. There's plenty of people that deserve to be legends more than I." She rubbed her neck sheepishly. Oogway stepped beside her and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"Phan, how would you like to join us for lunch?"

"Would I!"

**-x-x-**

Shifu watched Phan eat as if she hadn't seen food in years. The children were most likely crowded around the closed kitchen door, but Shifu didn't have the heart to tell them to leave. "You can slow down, you know," he said with a chuckle as Phan started to choke on a mango.

The fox glared at him with watery eyes. "I haven't had a decent meal in two days," she informed him.

Shifu started, while Oogway gave a simple nod. It would always baffle the red panda that his master could hear any news and barely react. "Your journey was not good to you," Oogway told the fox, getting a small laugh from her.

"You can say that again," Phan said. Before Shifu had a chance to ask what that meant, exactly, she answered the unspoken question. "I left India three weeks ago, with Rong and Lian. We were crossing a river that was overflowing with water, since it had rained the night before." Phan began to gag on a thick bite of buttered bread, swiftly gulping down tea to free the object from her throat. It was both disgusting and hilarious to watch; the only thing that kept Shifu from laughing outright was the way her eyes were watering and the sudden misery in her expression.

After catching her breath, Phan continued. "Our boat crashed. Lian and Rong swam to shore…and I got carried away. Was a stroke of luck that I washed up near a village kilos away. I'd wager that Lian and Rong made it to the Forbidden City, but I couldn't make it there myself, so I tried going home. Here, home," she clarified. "I got hopelessly lost though—"

"—No surprise there."

Oogway's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise while Shifu silently reprimanded his own tongue. Phan fixed him with a nonplussed stare, seemingly unaffected by his sarcasm. She was used to it, he mused with a small chuckle. The fact that he'd spoken without meaning to—and to address her so rudely—made Shifu two parts embarrassed, and one part reassured that Phan had not come home as a stranger.

"Hush, I'm trying to fill you in," Phan said with a sharp wave of her hand. "Where was I…yes, hopelessly lost. Well, I was lost and I was minutes away from giving up when Master Oogway found me and lead me back here." Then, like the explanation had taken up her valuable time, Phan immediately returned to the task of shoving as much food into her mouth as her cheeks could hold.

Shifu instantly used the silence to his advantage. He first looked up at his master, holding a gaze with the old turtle long enough for a full conversation could play out with only their eyes. A plus to knowing your teacher (and parental figure) since you were three. Of course their were downsides—such as getting scolding even though he was in his _fifties_—but Shifu had become an expert at ignoring them.

_You are worried, _Oogway's eyes were saying; a statement rather then a question.

_Of course I am. I haven't seen her in half a decade and she turns up bloody and bruised and hungry—and, with all due respect master, you are not helping matters._

_How so?_

_You…you are so blasé about everything. I can't…I don't know what to do, how to react, and you're a blank slate._

_Blank, or coded?_

Shifu blinked—once pulled out of the conversation does he realize that Phan had been staring at the two of them for the duration of it.

"That's one way to give someone a warm welcome," she smiled around her cup of tea.

Shifu felt the beginning of a blush brushing against his cheeks. Flustered, he waved the feeling aside. "Sorry," he told her, "I am just a tad…overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed? Why?"

Instantly a list of responses came to his mind, so Shifu picked a random one and went with it. "I've forgotten how grossly you eat."

He wondered briefly if he was laying this sarcasm thing on a bit too thick.

"Oi," Phan growled as she placed the tea on the table. "I've been trying to come here for three weeks for abuse? I was treated better in India."

"I highly doubt that."

The joking glint left her eyes. Shifu frowned as she tore their gazes away. When she jumped back, there was a resolute pout of her lips. "Hello? Emotionally damaged fox here. I need chicken soup, not biting sarcasm."

"Sorry," Shifu offered again. Phan waved away the apology with an irate snort.

Oogway cleared his throat; so caught up in trying to figure out Phan, Shifu had nearly forgotten he was there. Again. "I'm assuming that you'll be staying with us, Phan?"

For the first time, Phan looked uneasy. "Would you be willing? That seems like an awful lot to ask of you, Master, after you practically carried my lifeless ass down here…"

The following silence was broken when Phan slapped her forehead. "Sorry," she said hastily, blushing. "But you try spending five years with Lian and Rong and tell me you don't up something from them."

Shifu grimaced as he remembered the rather gritty personalities of the two. "It's fine," he assured her.

"And in response to your question, we would be more then willing," Oogway added with a smile. "You always manage to forget that you have a home here no matter what."

Shifu saw a small spark in Phan's eyes. "I do?"

"Of course, child. One does not simply stop being family."

Phan chuckled; mirth cradling her words. "Yes, of course, Master Oogway. I also seem to forget that you're always right."

Shifu felt himself nearly engulfed in the past when Oogway reached forward to tap Phan's nose—a habit he had picked with them as children by means of congratulating them when they were right. It had been so long since he'd seen his master do that. Since Tigress was a child, actually…

But this was a joyous occasion; Shifu will _not _think about the second biggest mistake of his life at that moment.

"I can only stay here on one condition, though," Phan was saying, effectively forcing Shifu to focus on the present.

"And that is…?"

Shifu recognized the fox's signature smile as she leaned on her knees and stared at him dead in the eyes. "In return for your hospitality, I will help you teach your students." Her voice shook slightly, from emotion no doubt.

Shifu doesn't need to consult Oogway to decide on an answer.

"Done," he said with a firm nod of his head. Phan exhaled and slumped backwards, like the world had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Welcome home, Phan," Oogway said warmly.

Phan chuckled from her nearly horizontal position. "It's just good to be back." The amount of relief in her voice made it obvious she was close to tears. Shifu reached out to place a hand on her knee and squeezed.

"And it's good to have you back."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ugh- I wanted this posted _weeeeeks _ago, and just got around to it now. I blame Korranticipation and Young Justice. Hopefully I'l get my act together and finish this by the end of summer...

-thanks for reviews/favorites and overall feedback!

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><p>Chapter 3: Cold Stares and Flower Heads<p>

* * *

><p>Phan Meng had spent a good portion of her life perfecting the art of guarding her emotions. Doing so made her an expert liar as well as a wonderful actress; a trait Rong used to scoff at, but after seeing how useful it could be, grudgingly congratulated her. Phan had conned men out of their riches, lied her way through tough times, and acted according to whichever lie she told. But in all her fifty-one years, <em>nothing <em>could prepare her for the children.

They had eyes like a child, all of them, even the oldest two, yet their expression and words made them seem twice their age. Politeness melted into frigidity and blended together until Phan couldn't tell the difference.

Overall, her first interaction with them didn't go as she planned.

So unlike the eager girl that had looked at her in awe just the day before, the feline sat with perfect posture and a perfectly unreadable mask. Phan was very much thrown off by it; she had expected a happy girl to skip into the kitchen, not this much-too-grown-up child with steely eyes.

The other children were hardly any better.

The snake with the soft voice and caring eyes attempted a smile—but the gesture stopped at the pull of her lips. No twinkle traveled to her eye, no happy trill in her tone. She was completely _blank_, a slate wiped so clean Phan had to wonder if the child had ever felt _anything, ever_. Someone with eyes like _hers _couldn't possess emotions.

As boys ever were, Shifu's male students seemed to have a firm belief on the idea of "manliness." From the moment they entered the kitchen, Phan knew it would be a non-stop contest of loud, Y-chromosome induced tasks. The insect—Phan was inclined to call him Bug, although she was nearly positive that wasn't his name—had an easy smile that reached his eyes, unlike the serpent, yet still seemed so hollow. Phan returned his polite smile with one of her own, and even she was unsure if she was as good as hiding herself as these kids were.

(Which really made her wonder what Shifu had been teaching them. She made note to bother him of it later.)

And the monkey, Phan admitted he was the worst. The moment their eyes met, he simply shut down all emotions other then loathing and took a seat with a small sneer on his lips. Phan knew it was directed at her and the very thought almost made her lose her façade; there was no reason for him to disrespect her like that, not when they had just met.

Mesmerized (and a little worried) by these children, Phan completely froze in her motions of preparing their breakfast and did what came natural to her: she stared at them.

They stared right back.

Phan felt half the life get sucked right out of the room.

"Pardon me," she said, snapping out of her trance. She lifted the pan in her hand and swiftly spun around their table, dropping sliced of fried banana into their plates as they glanced at one another, then her. "I hope you all had a good night's sleep."

"We did," they said in perfect unison. (Phan jumped back in surprise; that was both creepy _and _disturbing)

However, she recovered quickly. "Marvelous!" she said with forced delight in her tone. "I know Shifu introduced me the other day, but it was a rather rushed meeting, wouldn't you agree? How about we start over?" She ignored their bored faces and bowed. "I am Phan Meng, and it's a delight to meet you all."

"No," said the snake in an almost-monotone, "the pleasure is all ours. My name is Viper." When no one else made any inclination to speak, she went on, "This is Tigress," she nodded to the feline, "Mantis," the insect smiled at the sound of his name, "and Monkey." The simian regarded her with obvious contempt in his eyes.

Phan suddenly knew she was in for a handful.

"Excellent!" she said, the happiness in her voice slipping into something like a hysterical desperateness. "Well, enough with the formalities, since we know each other now. I suppose I should be the one to tell you the conclusion Shifu – er, _Master _Shifu and Master Oogway came to yesterday."

They made not a sound, but Tigress at least leaned forward, which was enough curiosity for Phan to pull a seat out and plop down in it. "I'm going to be staying here as your master, for the time being. It's not a permanent arrangement, but—"

"How come we didn't get any say in their conclusion?" Monkey cut in tartly. He was glaring at her; a defiant glint in his eye.

Phan bristled at his rudeness. She forced herself to keep her composure. "Because it was a matter the adults wanted to discuss," she said stiffly. "Children were not needed."

"I'm not a child," Monkey countered. "I'm _sixteen_."

"Ah…" Phan sighed. That explained so much. She fixed Monkey with an ominous smile, "That makes you closer to being a child then you'd think."

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but a sharp glare from Viper seemed to change his mind.

"Fine. Welcome, I guess," Monkey tossed at her sourly.

Phan's smile tightened. "Thank you. I'm sure we'll all grow into a loving family very soon."

"Your kids hate me."

Shifu coughed around the bite of banana he had come close to swallowing. Under normal circumstances, Phan would laugh at his trouble—just like he had down to her yesterday—but this was far from a normal circumstance. She stared at him, somewhat irritated, until he could regain his breath.

Though his eyes were still watering, Shifu deemed himself ready to answer her. "They are _not_ my kids," he emphasized. "And what gives you an idea like that?"

Phan ignored his protest, figuring he was just being weird. She settled onto the stone step beside him. Eating breakfast in the morning at the top of the Thousand Steps was always so refreshing; it was a custom for her and Shifu to do so every time she visited. Of course, even that wasn't helping her mood now. "Everything!" she speared a banana slice on her chopstick with a bit too much gusto. "I've never seen kids with such soulless looks before. They were empty—right down to their pupils."

"They're….guarded," Shifu said after a moment's thought.

"They're _creepy_," Phan retorted. "And the chimpanzee hates me."

"He is a langur." Phan couldn't care less about details—she rolled her eyes at Shifu just to tell him so. "And I can assure you that he doesn't hate you."

"I can assure _you _that he's going to kill me before the sun falls!" Phan set down her plate, too upset to eat. Shifu did so as well, fixing his blue eyes on her and giving her his full attention. "I've never seen someone hate me right off the bat like that. It's not normal, I tell you, it's—"

She cut herself short when Shifu started to laugh.

Phan had almost forgotten what it sounded like; now that she could hear it, her entire body felt fuzzy and she was sure an unwelcome heat had risen to her cheeks. Deciding the best way to cover up her reaction would be to act angry at him, Phan scowled and smacked him none too gently on the shoulder. "Something funny, Fu?"

Still chuckling, Shifu wiped his eyes. "If any of my students are too challenged to kill another person, it is Monkey, without a doubt. He's bright, I'm sure, but his better judgment is constantly clouded." Shifu attempted to look grave. "I know this predicament is no laughing matter, but the fact that you're genuinely scared of a hormone-driven sixteen year old strikes me as hilarious."

Phan didn't have to pretend to be angry anymore; a rough blush bloomed on her cheeks and she hit Shifu much harder then before. "I am not _scared _of him," she snapped. "I'm just _concerned _about my well-being!"

"You and your well-being will be fine, Phan," Shifu said, massaging his shoulder absently. "Monkey is disrespectful, yes, but ultimately harmless."

Unsure if he was telling the truth, Phan studied her friend closely. His eyes were twinkling, though that was probably from laughing so hard just minutes before. For the most part he was serious.

"Fine," Phan said. "I'll take your word for it." She paused. "Tigress doesn't seem to like me much either."

"Tigress is…a special case…" Phan could tell Shifu was trying to pick each word carefully. "You will not have to worry about her, she's a very respectful child. She's very capable."

"Is she?"

Shifting from the teasing man he was a moment ago, Shifu was suddenly unlike his old self. His brow furrowed deeply and his moustache curls down with his frown. "I suppose. Granted, she's been with me the longest…"

"How long?"

Shifu looked mildly uneasy. "Seven years."

"Wow," Phan gave a low whistle. "That's pretty impressive! In fact, she sort of reminds me of that one student you had…what was his name? He wasn't here the last time I visited."

Shifu looked uncomfortable now. "Tai Lung is away," he said in clipped tones. "He no longer trains here."

"Oh, but he was such a gentleman! Monkey ought to learn a thing or two from him—"

Shifu looked downright _murderous_ now. "I fear that wouldn't help him," he snapped. His voice was laced with barely-suppressed anger, and Phan took one look at him before realizing he seemed very close to exploding about something. She hadn't seen him look this mad in years; not since the Battle of Gongmen City when-…

"Oh." Phan's tone was dejected. She hardly paid any mind to the way Shifu's shoulders slumped in relief; her mind had remembered a painful memory, and now she was paying the price. "Monkey's a pretty hopeless case then?"

"Incredibly so."

"Think I could straighten him out?"

"You wouldn't stand a chance."

Despite the sad tugging at her heart, Phan found herself smiling. "Is that a challenge, Fu?"

"No," Shifu shook his head. "I'm stating the truth."

"Truth can change, you know."

Shifu fixed her with a deadpan stare. "Since when do _you _of all people have the right to tell me about the truth?"

Bristling, Phan crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you wouldn't understand the truth if it hit you in head. Repeatedly."

"Oi, Fu, you'd better watch yourself," Phan snapped, shoving her nose in his face. "There's no reason you've got to insulting me now…"

"I'm not insulting you, I'm stating a part of your personality."

Phan growled, "Smartass."

Shifu tutted as if she were a child caught doing something wrong. "I don't tolerate language like that, Phan. One time is okay, but twice is too much."

"Five years!" Phan threw her hands out, counting off on her fingers. "Five years I spent with Lian and Rong—the two _grittiest _people we know! I'm going to pick up _something _from them!"

Shifu didn't look persuaded.

"Okay, fine," Phan leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching as she reached for a flower's stem behind him. Shifu was suddenly unable to look her in the eye; she was sure he had flushed a little on the side. Smirking slightly, she sat back and ripped the head of the flower off its stem. "How's this; every time I let 'em fly, I'll eat a flower head?"

Shifu wrinkled his nose in distaste. "The punishment seems fitting."

"Of course it's fitting. Roun Li came up with it." Phan looked queasy at the thought of stomaching the flower. She grimaced and popped the petals into her mouth, chewing and swallowing as fast as she could. "Oh…_ew_…that is _disgusting_."

"I recall Ruon Li using soap…" Shifu said, completely unsympathetic.

"He got sick of me fighting him whenever he tried that, so he came up with the flower idea instead," Phan explained. She inhaled a few slices of her (now cold) banana in hopes of removing the taste. "I will never get used to that taste, no matter how many times I do it."

"If you'd listen to me," Shifu started, sounding smug, "you wouldn't have to taste another one ever again."

Phan was silent as she thought of the best way to respond to this. She twisted the flower stem in her fingers. "I don't think you realize the impact of five years talking to nobody but soldiers and _Lian_."

The explanation mollified Shifu enough. That didn't stop her from throwing the flower stem at his face.

"Aren't foxes supposed to like plants?" he said, dodging the stem with ease.

"We like _food, _not leaves; same as you, _rat."_

Shifu's eyebrows rose and he met her eyes, staring at her with an intensity she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Just when Phan thought the heat in her cheeks would catch fire, he reached out and traced the cut on her face—right below her eye, curving all the way to the edge of her upper lip.

"How did you manage this?" His voice was soft; caring, almost.

Phan felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. "Bandits," she managed tightly. "The leader gave me this one and another on my leg."

"Why didn't you let me dress them?" Shifu's voice had a hard edge to it. Phan wasn't quite sure what it meant, but she stopped his hand from tracing the cut on her right calf.

"Whoa," she said crossly, "they're fine. I was exhausted yesterday and Master whisked you away hours before I went to bed. I would've waited, but…you know. _Exhaustion._" She peered closely at him. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

It was Shifu's turn to bristle. He looked at Phan in a cross between bewilderment and complete frustration. His ears began to turn pink, giving Phan the impression that he was going to pop. "You're a guest in my home. I'd rather you not get an infection of some kind."

"I'm not going to get infected."

"Let me dress them anyway. The faster they heal, the less chance they'll scar." Shifu fixed her with a dubious look. "And besides, you're obviously in pain. You lean too heavily on your left side—even when you use your cane." Oblivious to the way Phan was staring at him, he went on, "Your face is swelling around the wound, and I know you're not okay with looking like you've regained your baby fat."

Phan blinked once.

Phan blinked twice.

Her hand flew up to her cheek. "I – I _do not _look fat!" Then, her hand flew out and smacked Shifu's head—too unexpected for him too dodge. "Wh-what is _wrong _with you?"

"You're overreacti—"

"_Don't ever _tell a woman she's _fat _OR overreacting you _dumbass!_"

"I wasn't-…I was merely-..watch your _tongue_ - "

"You haven't been around many women, have you?" Phan groused, massaging her cheek and glowering. "If you had, your ass would sure have been kicked too many times for you to even consider speaking like that."

"My interaction with females has been…slight, I'll admit," Shifu said, turning a bit pink, "but you're not 'women' you're _Phan_."

"And what," Phan whirled on him with narrow eyes, "is _that _supposed to mean?"

She stared the poor man down until he looked like he was trying to slink into his own shadow. "Nevermind." Shifu composed himself and stood. Ever a gentleman, he offered his hand out to her. "Come along. We'll dress those wounds."

Staring at his hand in contemplation, Phan wrinkled her nose. "Will I still have to chow down on flower heads?"

"I'll let you get away with it. Just for today."

Phan smiled brightly and took his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Short filler chapter. The plot thickens (finally) next chapter!

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><p>Chapter 4: Misunderstandings<p>

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><p>The noonday sun nearly blinded poor Tigress as she tried to concentrate on the vixen before her.<p>

Some time between yesterday morning and this afternoon, Master Phan had acquired a number of white bandages over her body. One layered in tape was patched below her eye; another was wrapped around about midway on her right calf. There was a number of too small wounds peppered on her face and arms. Part of Tigress was curious as to why she seemed so beat up, but the part that tended to quote Master Oogway most was indignant.

So quietly she stood, arms crossed behind her back; mind kilometers away from what Master Phan and Shifu were discussing. Beside her, Monkey whispered something to Mantis, drawing a loud snort from the bug. Viper shushed them both. Tigress would never understand just _how _Viper could get Monkey to listen to her. Maybe it was her sisterly nature…or her sweet smile. Suppose Tigress tried carrying herself differently; would anyone show her respect then?

"Tigress?"

Startled, Tigress quickly corrected her posture and stared into the concerned eyes of Master Phan. "Sorry," she said with a quick bow.

Master Shifu made to correct her, but Phan brushed way his words with an impatient wave of her cane. "Don't worry about it, child. Just try to pay attention from now on."

The glare Master Shifu sent her way went unnoticed by Phan, yet it sent chills down Tigress' spine. Just another thing that confused her about this fox… It was obvious she was an observant person; as a watcher herself, Tigress noticed that about her immediately. But small things—like Shifu glaring or Monkey sneering seemed to be lost on her. Tigress didn't know if it was a tactic or if the master truly didn't notice.

And that was only the first of her questions about her.

How did she know Master Shifu? Why had she arrived so suddenly? How was she so calm about things, yet her eyes told the story of someone who had had many awful things happen to her?

And _why _did it look like she was the only one who _cared _to understand Tigress?

Thirteen was a hard age to be—especially for a girl like Tigress. She didn't know what to think or who to trust or why this or that happened; it was a very exhausting time.

But this wasn't the time for her to become lost in thought. Tigress faced forward and let herself only think about the words coming out of Phan's mouth.

* * *

><p>"I sort of like Master Phan."<p>

The serpent's confession quickly drew stares—and one loud curse—from the other students. Tigress frowned, crossing her arms and leaning against the side of her bed. "Why?"

"Well," Viper said slowly, "I think she's nice. Caring, even. During training today, she asked me if I understand what to do—and even demonstrated my kata for me." Viper smiled sweetly; much to the disgust of Monkey. "I was really grateful."

"Get your head out of the clouds, Vi," Monkey snorted. He tucked his fists behind his head and sprawled on the ground. "Phan is an adult—same as Shifu, and adults only want to control you."

"You know, not everyone has the same opinion as you," Viper said crossly.

"They should. It's the truth, after all."

Mantis cut in before an argument could start. "What do you think of Phan, Tigress?"

The very question she'd been dreading. Tigress shifted her position, sliding up and down and back up until finally slumping against the wooden cot. She drummed her fingers together. "I think…I think I agree with Monkey. Not entirely—" the langur gave a sharp curse—"but…Master Phan _is _an adult, and she _does _seem controlling…" Now Tigress wasn't sure how to word her thoughts. She searched the ceiling for the right words. "Yet she's _different _from most adults. From most people, even. I don't know if I like her or not."

A silence had fallen among the other three students while Tigress spoke. All her sense were on the alert; completely unused to the attention. From the expression on her face, it seemed that she was prepared to bolt out of the room at the slightest noise.

The silence dragged on until Mantis gave one, two slow nods of agreement. "I never thought of it that way," he admitted, "but that's actually pretty clever, kiddo." Then he shot her a broad grin and Tigress, for once, felt perfectly in place with the people around her. She curled her knees to her chest and smiled, listening to the other speak. It wasn't a memorable event—all she did was give her opinion to her peers—yet it felt like Tigress had just become the richest person in China.

"Alright," Mantis was saying, trying to acquire a solemn tone. "Let's come to an agreement here. All in favor of letting Phan live in peace here, say aye. All who want to make her life hell, say nay." He turned to Viper.

The serpent smiled proudly. "Aye," she said, eyes flashing like this was the most important decision she would ever make.

Monkey didn't bother waiting for his turn; "Nay."

Three sets of eyes focused on Tigress. The girl straightened her back and puffed out her chest. "Aye," she said without a moment's hesitation. "She hasn't wronged me in anyway. She deserves my respect."

"For now," Monkey muttered, while Mantis pointed as his chest and gave a loud, "Aye."

The bug didn't seem apologetic as he hit the ground. "Three to one vote says Phan gets to live happily! Sorry bro," he shrugged. Tigress watched as Monkey sneered at him, then stood and strode briskly out of the room without as much as a word.

Mantis clucked his tongue at the simian. "Broody-Pants over there has the right idea. It's getting late." He yawned for emphasis, "And we have to get up early. You two should go to bed."

"Sure," Viper agreed, slithering toward him. Tigress rolled onto her knees and wished them goodnight; she climbed into bed and waited for the soft echoes of their footfalls to cease before sliding off her cot and pulling a scroll from under her pillow. All she had to read with was moonlight—there wasn't enough, but she could just make out the paintings on the parchment.

Slowly but surely, Tigress copied every movement of the kata. It was very complicated. Oogway had once told her that becoming a master was no easy feat. If she wanted it, she would have to work for it.

And _boy _did she want it.

Her ritual of practicing when everyone was asleep and been going on for weeks. No one caught her. Even if it meant being more tired then usual the next morning, Tigress thought it would be worth it.

A scroll she had snuck many years ago instructed a very odd method of strength building: punching trees. And not just any trees—_iron wood _trees. The information went ignored at first, but after a few more months of studying it, Tigress punched her first tree when she was a month away from being eight.

It had hurt.

A _lot. _

More than a lot. Tigress had never felt pain like it in her life. She fractured two fingers and a toe on the first night alone. There was one thing in the entire world Tigress knew hurt more, and that was the lecture Shifu had given her on immaturity and disappointment the next morning.

So Tigress went out again, fractured appendages and all, to punch those trees. Seven years later, she still went four times a week.

Tigress wiped sweat from her brow and carefully rolled up the scroll. Tonight was more successful than most; she was breathing hard when her head hit the pillow. She knew none of the other students did this. In fact, she was pretty sure not other thirteen-year-old in _China _did this. So why did she?

There were some things even she didn't understand about herself.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I _can't believe_ I haven't touched this story in a year. You can thank **AnimationGirl** for reminding me about it and giving me the encouragement I needed to get this chapter finished. (Seriously, thank you! You're!) My interest in KFP as a whole has seriously dwindled, but I'll do my best to not utterly abandon this story in the future. :)

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><p>Chapter 5: Nosy By Night<p>

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><p>Tigress started and ended the following day exhausted. By the time training was over, her arms felt like noodles and she could hardly keep her eyes open. To her dismay, she was even too tired to prepare a full meal. As her dinner she ate two peaches and shared a handful of peanuts with Mantis.<p>

The four students were falling against each other on their way to their bedrooms. Tigress tried to keep her head up, to prove she was strong—but after only a few steps her shoulders hunched and she stopped bothering.

Beside her, Monkey gave a wide yawn. "Still like Phan, brat?"

Tigress bristled. Even though she was tired, she knew disrespecting Phan wouldn't solve anything. And, despite the day, Tigress still liked Phan. Her style of teaching was a little gruff and far more jagged around the edges than Shifu's, but it would be easy to get used to.

Tigress nodded her head firmly. "I'm _not _a brat, Monkey. And yes, I do. She's not even the reason we worked so hard today…that was Master Shifu's idea."

"They work together, so same thing, practically." Monkey shrugged nonchalantly, "Whatever you say, _brat_. If you wanna trust adults that's no skin off my nose." Without waiting for Tigress to get a word in, he disappeared into his barrack, leaving the feline fuming at air.

Viper slid up beside her. Her eyes were only half-way open as she advised, "You know what? Don't even listen to him. Monkey's going to get on the right path eventually. He just...needs some time."

"While he makes his way there, though, he's gonna be a world-class jerk." Mantis didn't look apologetic for the insult. "Just don't let him get to you."

Tigress gave a quiet huff. She couldn't possibly take either of her friends' words to heart at a time like this. Monkey could be so infuriating. She couldn't just let that slip.

"You gonna be alright, kiddo?"

"Yes," Tigress said tightly. "I'll…see you two in the morning."

Admittedly, her valediction wasn't convincing, but Mantis and Viper were much too tired to question her. They both flashed her quick, caring smiles and trudged to their rooms.

Once it was only Tigress in the halls, she realized that her anger had taken place of her exhaustion. Now she was stuck with more energy than she wanted at this time of the night. It didn't take long for her to decide to take a short trip to the library—often, she found stories in there that she read late into the night, when no one could disturb her.

Tonight, while she lazily shuffled through scrolls, Tigress noticed one she'd never seen before. It was massive in comparison to the others—thick around the middle with grass woven together at the ends. Since her better judgment had retired for the night, Tigress took the scroll without really looking at it and went off to her room.

She struck a candle and lay on her cot, preparing for a short read. She was only paying half attention as she unraveled the scroll. It took one, two seconds for the title to sink in, then she dropped the parchment in surprise.

_Phan Meng: A Biography _was written in strong, black letters across the top.

What had she found? Tigress didn't even know such a scroll existed! Her first reaction was to put the scroll back immediately. Imagining what would happen if Shifu or Phan found her with it was almost too painful…

But she couldn't just let a chance like this go. She wanted to know more about Phan. And what better way to find out than through a biography? Maybe finding the scroll was fate finally playing for Tigress instead of working against her.

With shaking hands, Tigress uncurled the scroll and began to read.

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><p>As a child, Phan Meng grew up in a farming village, under the name Phan Ming. For the first five years of her life, all the young fox knew was wheat fields and harvesting. The other two children in her family were never particularly nice to her; the oldest brother, Lee, and the second oldest daughter, Mu.<p>

It was at age six that her life changed. One week after her sixth birthday, a mysterious elderly turtle appeared in her village. News of him traveled fast. The day after his arrival, Mu came running from the neighbor's house as fast as her small feet could carry her with tales of this stranger waiting to be told.

The middle child, at age eight, pulled both her siblings into her room that evening. They sat in a small circle on her floor.

"Ri from next door told me that he's taller than a house," Mu gossiped, using her hands to tell the story. "And he carries a staff as thick as a whole tree. His shell is s'pposed to be made of gold, and painted green so he doesn't stick out too much."

"Yeah right," Lee said. At ten, he was too old for such fairytales. "Ri's full of it. That stuff's just fairytales."

Little Ming didn't know who to believe, but the thought of such an abnormal stranger intrigued her. "Why's he here? What's a giant gonna do in a place like this?"

"Dunno. Ri's dad says he's the grandmaster of kung fu!" Mu reached out to take her younger sister by the hands, grinning excitedly. "Ri doesn't believe it but I do, I really do. It makes sense, huh, little sister?"

"Yeah!" Ming was always eager to agree with her sister. After a moment her face fell. "But…what's kung fu?"

"Father says it's about fightin' and killin' people," Lee said helpfully. "Ma doesn't like it much, but Father says it's around to protect us."

Mu cradled Ming in her arms, "No, sister, it's more than that." Although she had tried not to show it, the definition of kung fu chilled Ming to the bone. "It's an art. Like, paintin' a picture. It can be smooth and slow or fast and sharp. Lee's right—it's around to protect us. It's not all about the fightin'."

Ming nodded with her sister's words. She imagined kung fu to be like Father's flute with short, quick rhythms and long, slow songs.

Lee snorted. "You dunno what you're talkin' about, Mu. You sound stupid."

"That's a mean word," Ming interjected before an argument could start. At that point, though, the three children were called out to dinner. The discussion would have to be continued later.

As they filed into the kitchen, Ming's eyes widened. Sitting at their table was a stranger—his face was old and wrinkled, but he had kind eyes and a soft smile. Ming didn't think she could be afraid of him if she tried.

Happily, she sat next to him, and swung her feet as she gave him a cheery smile. "Hullo, sir," she chirped. "What's your name?"

Father instantly shushed her, but the stranger laughed and indulged her question. "My name is Oogway, child. What's yours?"

"I'm Ming!" she responded, puffing her chest up with pride. "I'm six. How old are you?"

"That," Oogway said, "is a good question." He didn't say anything else, and while that confused Ming, she also found it amusing. She giggled behind one of her tiny paws and Oogway winked at her when Father wasn't looking.

The strangershared dinner with the Phan family that evening. By the time it was over, Oogway had told many stories. Some were funny and some were sweet. Ming liked them all.

Unfortunately for her, Ma instructed the children to bed long before Oogway left. Mu and Lee went without questions, but Ming hesitated.

For some reason she just wanted to talk to Oogway all night. He was much nicer than Father, and more talkative than Ma. He never got mad at her for talking—she could say whatever she wanted and he only smiled, laughed, or nodded, and carried on the conversation happily.

"Actually," Oogway said, while Ming contemplated leaving for bed, "she might as well stay. I have made a decision."

Father sat up a little straighter. Ming only frowned. Oogway was deciding something? She hadn't even noticed!

"Master Oogway, your choice will be honored." Father tapped his fingers together anxiously. "Which of my children have you chosen?"

Suddenly Ming was being whisked into Oogway's arms. She squealed with delight, wrapping her arms around his neck and giggling into his cheek. She almost missed Oogway's response.

"I have chosen Phan Ming. She will be my student."

Father began to argue with Oogway, but Ming couldn't understand what they were saying. She curled herself into Oogway's shoulder and soon fell asleep, as comfortable with him as if he were her own father.

The next time Ming awoke, she was still being carried by Oogway. She rubbed her eyes and pulled away so she could see his face. He looked sadder than before. Ming looked to her left and saw Father angrily shoving Lee by the shoulder. Lee was in tears, and he never cried. Instantly, Meng was terrified—she huddled up under Oogway's chin and trembled.

"Oogway, what's goin' on?" she mumbled into his collar bone, one thumb hovering by her lips as if she were going to suck on it. Ma had told her to quit that habit long ago, but Ming still found herself reverted back to it whenever she felt scared or uncertain.

Oogway didn't respond to her verbally but soothingly patted her back until she stopped quivering. "Phan Manchu," he said, cutting off Father almost instantly. "You must understand that your son's fate does not involve being my student."

"And hers is?" Ming looked up to see Father's fist pointed at her. "My daughter is _weak_! She's small and vulnerable, Grandmaster. She won't be worth anything until she's of marrying age! You can't possibly want to take her over him."

"But I do," Oogway said matter-of-factly. Ming shivered; Father often said such things about her and Mu, but his voice was never this angry. She hated it when Father was angry. He bared his teeth and growled low like he'd lost his mind. It scared Ming, to be frank.

Ming chose that moment to wriggle wildly in Oogway's arms. "I wanna go with Oogway!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Despite not knowing exactly what that meant, it felt like the right thing to say. Father looked bewildered at her declaration, and that only fueled Ming's determination. "I wanna! Father, I do, I do!"

"Quiet, child!" Father snapped. "You don't know what you're saying."

Oogway shook his head, once again soothing Ming by rubbing her back. She relaxed, slightly, although she was still breathing hard as she laid her laid in the crook of Oogway's neck. "On the contrary, Phan Manchu. I believe she does know what she is saying, and she has in fact made her decision."

Spluttering, Father shifted his gaze between Oogway and Ming, then threw his hands up with a massive sigh. "I'm a _fool _to give in to the wishes of my youngest child—but I relent. Take her."

A grin burst onto Ming's face. "Thank you, Father!" She reached her arms out, and after a moments hesitation, Father stepped forward to take her from Oogway's arms. Ming happily buried her face into his shoulder, pulling on his shirt and bouncing in excitement. Then she raised her head and pressed a sloppy, sweet kiss on her father's cheek. "Thank you!"

Father didn't smile. He looked sternly at Ming. "Don't disgrace my name anymore than you already have," he said unkindly. "Prove to me that this isn't a mistake."

Slowly, the grin left Ming's face. She stared with wide eyes at her father. For a moment, she felt like crying. Instead, her grip on his shirt tightened.

"I'll make you proud, Father," she vowed.

He scoffed. "I doubt you will." Looking past her, he glared at Oogway. "Take her, Grandmaster. Take her and leave."

Ming remained in a state of stunned silence as she wrapped her small arms around Oogway's neck. The grandmaster gave one last look towards Phan Manchu. Behind him, Ming could see Lee's reddened eyes glaring at her almost as hard as Father was. Men felt tears pooling in her eyes and her lips sucked helplessly on her thumb.

Her heart felt heavy. Ma and Mu were nowhere to be seen, and the rest of her family was looking at Ming with an unfamiliar hatred.

"Let's get goin', Oogway," Ming said weakly.

The grandmaster nodded once, and together they left everything Ming had ever known behind.

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><p>Tigress blinked, startled as she jerked back into reality. The first entry of the scroll had an ending she truly wasn't expecting. Master Phan's family had ostracized her—when she was only six, no less!<p>

With a sad sigh, Tigress tucked the scroll underneath her arm. She certainly knew what that felt like. Her days from the orphanage would haunt her mind for years to come. Her lifetime, even.

Suddenly, what she had to do became clear. Tigress wasn't going to return the scroll until she'd finished it. She felt like she connected with Phan—a feeling she'd never experienced before, but wasn't keen on letting it go so quickly.

That night, Tigress slept easily; one hand resting under her head, and the other wrapped tightly around the scroll resting beneath her pillow.


End file.
